


Please, Nyssa

by yellow_canary



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cats, Cheating, F/F, League Era, Sappho - Freeform, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-03-09 00:17:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13469661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellow_canary/pseuds/yellow_canary
Summary: From the moment they meet, Nyssa is futile to resist her little bird’s desires. Or Sara says please and Nyssa says yes.





	1. Lookin' At You, Like A Star

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to @bisexuallaurellance for beta reading this Fic for me.
> 
> I am also excepting prompts so if there’s anything you’d like to see let me know.

"Please don’t kill me." The girl  lies on the deck of the Nordic Pearl as she begs for her life, when not moments ago she had attempted to take Nyssa’s. The fall breeze sweeps over them, dancing in the open blue sky and the warm sun dries the deck.

Her words make Nyssa pause and study her. Her yellow hair is thick with sea salt as it falls in wet waves and her lips are white and with cracked dead skin. Her hollow cheeks are red from the sun and Nyssa thinks she can’t weigh more than ninety pounds even though she’s soaking wet. Altogether she paints a picture of dehydration and malnourishment from her days spent floating at sea.

What had intrigued Nyssa most was the girl’s fight. When they brought her aboard the girl had been relieved, smiling as they helped her up, her eyes had a glimmer of hope. However, once she was on deck she took one look at them, suddenly became aware of her surroundings, and instantly got up, launching herself at the nearest person, which happened to be Nyssa. Nyssa watched the girl run at her with no fear in her eyes, a force of will Nyssa hesitated to reckon with.

One of her assassins, Eyad, moves to stand in front of her, blocking the sun. As the shadow crosses over her, the girl closes her eyes, and when he raises his sword, she prepares for death.

"Stop," Nyssa shouts, pushing her arm out to stop his movement. His arm hits hers mid-swing.

Everyone on the boat falls silent. The other assassins, Hai and Katya, stand and stare, waiting for her, and the only sound is that of the ocean slapping against the boat.

"She tried to attack you," Eyad argues, his arm still outstretched.

"She is scared," Nyssa says, pushing his sword away. "We can be quite frightening at times."

She gestures to the water bottle next to him. "Bring it to me."

"Naʻam, Wareeth," he says, handing her the bottle.

"We’re not going to hurt you," Nyssa said, as she kneels down to the girl. "Here, drink this."

She nods and Nyssa’s hand cups the back above her head and slowly tips the water into her mouth. Nyssa pulls the bottle back to allow her to drink slowly, waiting a moment before giving her another sip. To Nyssa’s surprise, the girl doesn't try to grab a hold of the bottle or attempt to gulp it down in one go.

When she is done, she stares up at Nyssa with tired eyes and Nyssa doesn’t hesitate to slide her arms under the girl's knees and behind her back, lifting her up. Something must have made her feel safe because she closes her eyes and curls into Nyssa’s chest. She reaches up to grab Nyssa’s coat, her fingers digging in as she holds on, clinging to her as if Nyssa is her lifeline.

Taking her eyes off of the girl in her arms, Nyssa addresses her crew in Arabic. "Eyad, prepare a team and be ready to explore the ship and the island. We need to see if there are any other survivors or evidence of the muejaza." Then, she turns around and walks inside the ship.

Nyssa wants answers. She wants to know once and for all why this place is so important and how her destiny is tied to this island. Why her father had spun a story about a man searching for a miracle drug and why this girl is the only survivor of that project and the shipwreck that stands a hundred meters away. She won't get any answers if this girl dies.

As Nyssa walks down the passageway, her boots slapping against the blue floor. If she hadn’t already buried her face in Nyssa’s jacket, the girl would have certainly turned away from the fluorescent white lights that shine down on them. Nyssa looks down at the girl, who hasn't opened her eyes. Nyssa can now see the birthmark on her right arm and the freckles that dot her entire body. 

When she reaches the med bay, she finds the heavy door ajar, making it easier for Nyssa to turn around and push her way into the room. The young doctor, Qian Hsiao is a friend of hers and she knows the girl will be safe in her care. Qian jumps when she sees Nyssa enter, having been lost in the latest medical journal, and has to readjust her glasses.

“Wareeth, who is this?” she asks as Nyssa places the girl on the bed closest to her.

“She’s from the Amazo. It went down a few days ago,” Nyssa says as Qian pulls on a fresh set of gloves and takes a look at the girl before she begins to wrap her in clean blankets. 

“What is her name?” Qian asks as she gestures for Nyssa to hand her a gown from the cabinet behind her.

Nyssa shakes her head before she is interrupted by the girl’s quiet voice.

“Sara.”

Nyssa looks down at the girl's bright blue eyes staring up at her, her lips parting slightly as she repeats herself. “My name is Sara.”

Qian smiles at her. “Hello, Sara,” she says “I'm Dr. Hsiao. We’re going to get you into some dry clothes, then I’m going to do a full check-up. Are you in any pain that I should be aware of?”

Sara turns her head away from Nyssa to look up at Qian. “My ribs.”

Qian nods and moves to feel Sara’s side. “I'm going to take a look, and we will see if we need an X-ray,” Qian says, as she runs her fingers across the area Sara is holding. 

Nyssa takes her leave, slowly walking out of the room and up to the deck to meet with the search team. She mentally prepares for the task ahead, but she can still feel Sara’s weight in her arms and against her chest.

She doesn't get a chance to see Sara again that day. She instead spends the day searching the island and the boat, wading through a sea of bodies. Tomorrow she'll confirm that Sara is the only survivor and that the miracle drug is nothing but ash.

As Nyssa falls asleep, after collapsing into her bunk, all she can think about is Sara’s yellow hair brushing against her neck and the feeling of Sara's hand clutching her jacket.


	2. Stealin' Kisses From Your Misses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years after Nyssa pulls Sara from the ocean, Sara pulls a stray out of a puddle on the streets of Rio de Janeiro.

“Please, Nyssa.”

Nyssa tears her eyes away from Sara’s hopeful smile to stare at the wall of the alleyway. The thin black cat purrs, completely content in Sara’s arms as she sits criss cross on the ground.

Of course she would pick up a stray when they were supposed to be making their escape. She brushes the water from her forehead. The summer rain drips down the buildings, covering them in a fine mist and giving them a break from the heat of the city, Rio de Janeiro.

“Sara, we can’t. The mission is complete and we need to leave before the authorities find the body!”

“Oh, relax,” Sara says, an easy smile on her lips, but the bounce in her leg and the lip between her teeth tells Nyssa she’s still nervous. “You know no one is gonna be here until eight, and it’s not even midnight.”

Nyssa crosses her arms from where she stands. “That doesn’t change the fact that our flight is in two hours. We can’t just take her with us to Nanda Parbat.”

“Why not? There are other cats there. We’ll just get a carrier and I can fake the paperwork while we're at the airport. Please babe, we can’t just leave her here - look at how thin she is!” Sara insists, holding up the cat, with her hands around its middle.  “She’ll die!”

The cat meows at Sara for disturbing her. Sara set her down on her lap. Once she’s encased in her jacket the cat quickly settles back into Sara’s arms, but rather than falling asleep, she stares up at Nyssa. Sara looks up at Nyssa with her best puppy dog pout and watery blue eyes.

Nyssa almost rolls her eyes at Sara’s antics. She glares at the wall instead, looking anywhere but Sara’s pout. “And what if she has worms or some kind of disease?”  
“I’ll buy some flea medication at the bodega across from our hotel and take her to the vet when we get home.”

Nyssa sighs; this is clearly not a battle she could win. She crouches down to where Sara is sitting and tentatively holds her hand out to the cat. The cat leans forward and sniffs her fingers, then rubs her face against Nyssa’s hand.

Sara smiles at her. She knows she’s won.

“I suppose we cannot leave her to the mercy of the streets,” Nyssa says, as she rubs the cat’s ears.

“Yes!” Sara cheers. “Thank you.”

“But,” Nyssa adds, “she will be your responsibility, and her food and other necessities will come out of your paycheck.”

“But she can stay with us?” Sara says, a little bit smug.

“Yes, my Beloved. She is yours,” Nyssa says and the smile Sara gives her makes it all worth it.

* * *

 

A few weeks later, Sara returns from training, expecting to find Nyssa in her usual spot, curled up in a chair by the window, reading. Instead, she finds her in the middle of the room, surrounded by wooden pieces covered in carpet, intensely studying a set of instructions.

“What’s all this?” Sara asks, slowly walking around some of the pieces towards their bed.

“Zaira keeps scratching the furniture. I thought it was only fair that we give her something she could scratch instead of just scolding her all the time,” Nyssa says, not looking up from the instructions and turning them over to read the other side.

“You bought her a scratching post?” Sara askes slightly bemused at Nyssa’s actions. “I thought I was the one who was supposed to buy her something and fix the furniture or, and I quote, ‘you’re both sleeping on the couch’.”

“Considering you have been busy preparing for the Polyakov mission, and her annoying need to sleep in our bed, I thought I’d give her one of her own,” Nyssa says, like it is the most obvious thing in the world as she begins to assemble the post.

Sara finds Zaira lounging in the middle of their bed and leans over to reach her. She runs a finger under Zaira’s chin and behind her ears, earning a soft purr from her cat. Sara smiles and whispers. “See, Zaira, Mama loves you too.”

“I simply wish to be able to sleep without a mound of fur hissing at me every time I try to touch you,” Nyssa replies, having overheard Sara’s words. Despite Zaira’s clear preference for her, Sara knows she doesn’t hate Nyssa, both of them just don’t like to share.

Sara chuckles and picks up Zaira, admiring the fact that she has gained a few pounds and is more active than when Sara first found her. Zaira settles in her arms as Sara walks over to her armoire.

“She is quite the mood killer,” Sara says, pulling out an old t-shirt and walking over to Nyssa. The small post was almost complete as Nyssa screws the bed in place on the top of the post.

“Wanna see if she likes it?” Sara asks as she put the shirt on the bed before placing Zaira down.

Nyssa tugs at Sara’s hips, pulling her down into her lap. She wraps her arms around Sara, who leans against her. Together they watch Zaira explore her new bed in silence, the only sound was the rain against the windows, the candlelights’ warm glow flickering around the room.

“Thank you,” Sara says.

“For you, my little bird, I would give the world.”

Sara turns around and Nyssa straightens her legs as Sara straddles her waist. She cups Nyssa’s face, staring intently into her eyes.

“I don’t want the world. I just want you,” she says, leaning in to kiss her, pushing her urgency and affection into her lips.

Nyssa moves under her and Sara stood up, pulling Nyssa towards the now free bed.


	3. Baby Come Around 'cause I Need You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyssa can't resist seeing Sara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take place around The Man Under the Hood and Seeing Red. Rating change for Smut. Chapter Title form Hayley Kiyoko's Let It Be.

“Please, Nyssa,” Sara sighs, as she turns away from Nyssa sagging her shoulders.

The sound of the afternoon traffic below them is like white noise in their ears filling the silence in the room. This place has the aroma that’s overwhelmingly Sara’s; she thinks of snagging an article of clothing. Back in Nanda Parbat, their room used to have the redolence, there was a mixture of them both. She always used to take a deep breath of it after walking in and greeting her beloved. Now Sara’s scent has faded, leaving only hers.

“Alright,” Nyssa says. “I just came to see if you were doing well. Now that I see you are, I’ll leave.”

She doesn’t move from where they both stand in the middle of Sara hideout instead, she watches Sara carefully, studying her. When she received an alert that Sara has been admitted to the hospital, she took advantage of the fact that she was heading to the area and made a stopover in Star City.

She couldn’t resist seeing her. Regardless of everything, she still cares for Sara. Still longs for her. Eventually, she sees that Sara will not turn around and mirrors Sara’s actions. As she turns towards the drop door, Sara calls out.

“Wait.” She looks back to see Sara take a breath.

“I…” She fumbles the words but gestures at Nyssa. “You don’t have to go. Maybe we can talk or something.”

It seems like Nyssa wasn’t the only one who couldn't resist.

“I would like that,” Nyssa nods.

There’s no furniture in the clock tower, so Nyssa folds herself on the floor and Sara flops down across from her. Nyssa thinks back to the many meditation sessions they have had. Sara would always sit down with such force as if to rumble the earth underneath her. Sara settles and fiddles with her fingers, looking down at her hands.

“How did your father handle you releasing me?” She asks, after a moment.

“He did not give me such power without knowing its consequences, but I believe he knew I would do so when he sent me to you.”

Sara nods, knowing full well that the Demon's Head often knows the outcome of events before they have even started.

“How is your soul?” Nyssa asks.

Sara looks down again. Their knees are touching and Sara reaches out as if to touch her but then pulls back.

“I don’t miss working for the league, I could never be that monster again, but, these days I still feel the urge to kill. Seeing my family helps. But I suppose once you start killing you never really go back.” She seems to gain the confidence she needs to look Nyssa in the eye as she continues.

“Sometimes I look into the eyes of a criminal and I just think... ‘They deserve it.’ Oliver’s got this whole ‘no killing’ rule, which I get, but when it comes to Slade I think it’s hurting us more than it helps.”

“Is that what you think of me? That I’m a monster.” Nyssa can’t help but ask.

“No, no of course not.” She takes Nyssa’s hands in her own squeezing them tight. “I just can’t blindly kill like your father wants. I can't look into the eyes of a man begging for mercy and not give him that. You have to know that I never saw you like that. I love…”

You.

It hangs in the air between them. Waiting for one of them to reach up and take it. Nyssa takes her hand, brushing Sara’s hair away from her face and cupping her cheek. Nyssa can’t resist her, she never could.

Sara melts into her, closing her eyes and leaning against her hand. Her face filled with the light that filters in through the clocks face, casting them in a soft white light. When Sara opens her eyes to look at her, she gives her a soft hazy gaze. Looking at her through thick lashes. It’s that kind of lust and softness that Nyssa knows all too well.

Sara pushes forward suddenly to sit on her lap. Nyssa catches her around her waist pulling Sara flush against her. Nyssa moves her hands to the back of Sara’s neck as she rushes forward to kiss her.

When Sara kisses her it’s like coming home. Like she’s exactly where she’s supposed to be. Sara’s the place she never wants to leave. She’s missed this. She feels Sara's warm lips and can taste her favorite lip balm. All she wants is to stay here forever. Kissing Sara. She feels a warm wet tear fall from Sara’s cheek onto her own and she knows she must pull away.

“No, Nyssa.” Sara chases Nyssa’s lips, her eyes still closed.

“You’re not mine, Sara. You have chosen another.” Nyssa says as she rests her forehead against Sara’s.

Sara grips her jacket just like she did the day Nyssa found her. Like she’s done so many times before.

“Please Nyssa,” Sara’s voice is like the songbird she loves so much and Nyssa cannot resist her. She pulls Sara back to her again. Kissing her with passion and intensity. All she can think about is Sara’s lips against hers and her tongue pushing up against Nyssa’s lips. Nyssa opens her mouth to Sara as they move into a familiar dance.

Nyssa acts on muscle memory, remembering all the places Sara likes to be touched. She runs her fingers down Sara’s arms to hold her waist. Sara pushes off her own jacket and works at the buttons on Nyssa’s. Nyssa pulls up the hem of Sara’s shirt and they break apart as Nyssa pulls it over her head.

They pause. Pulling back to stare at each other. Chest rising and falling in rapid pace. Nyssa’s eyes are drawn to Sara’s cleavage encased in a plain black exercise bra. They’re both wired and frazzled from the kiss and Sara’s fingers dance along her skin teasing her.

Sara giggles when Nyssa’s eyes don’t move, she reaches down and pulls her bra over her head.

“I’ve always known that these were the best way to distract you.”

“Oh,” Nyssa says, pushing forward giving Sara a full view down her shirt. She watches as Sara’s breath hitches as she stares at Nyssa's chest. “It works on you too.”

“Well, you know I’ve always been a boob girl.”

She pushes up against Nyssa, capturing her in a kiss. Nyssa can feel her body temperature rise as they devour each other and she suddenly has no need for the clothes she’s wearing.

Nyssa remembers their first time. It had been after several ‘make out’ sessions as Sara called them. Nyssa had wanted to do everything right. She didn’t want to sleep with Sara like she had done with the other girls in Nanda Parbat. Sara was special and she wanted everything to be special. She had put out rose petals and red silk sheets and when she brought Sara into her room Sara had kissed her so softly she barely touched her lips.

This time was nothing like their first time and it wouldn’t be like all the times that came after that. This was need and heat and wanting. They stripped each other of their clothes and Nyssa ran her hands up Sara’s spine, feeling every vertebra under her fingertips. Sara pushed her shoulders back and Nyssa lowers herself down onto the floor. Sara now dressed only in a pair of panties straddled her waist rubbing against Nyssa’s stomach.

Sara kisses Nyssa’s neck and Nyssa moans as she felt Sara kiss her jaw sucking at her pulse point. Sara moves downward to her exposed flesh. Kneading one of Nyssa's breasts and taking the other nipple into her mouth sucking and pulling.

Nyssa gets lost in the sensation, then remembers her initial goal. She quickly flips them over and kisses Sara’s jaw and neck. She slowly works her way down Sara’s chest teasing her. She bites Sara’s collarbone and continues down kissing the valley of her breast and letting her lips circle around her nipples. She goes slower, kissing Sara’s naval dipping her tongue in and swirling it around. Sara moans, a long drawn out sound. Sara grasped at Nyssa’s hair trying to pull her to where she wants her.

Nyssa wants this, she wants to press into Sara’s hip in the way that makes her moan. She wants to kiss Sara’s hand in the way that makes Sara smile at her like she stepped out of a renaissance painting. Like she’s the princess Sara has dreamed of all along. She wants to make Sara happy like that again.

She sets her mind to worship Sara and dives in. She pulls off Sara's panties and Sara opens her legs for her in all her glory. The sight makes the heat between Nyssa’s legs pool on her exposed thighs. She kisses Sara’s mound, it’s clean shaven, where Sara usually has short blond hair. Sara reacts with want and need, pulling Nyssa’s hair more and bucking her hips.

Nyssa chuckles and holds her hips down. “Patients is a virtue, Sara.”

“Fuck,” Sara breathes out.

When Nyssa looks up at her, she sees Sara’s blue eyes are glazed over and her lip is between her teeth. Nyssa breaths heavy letting her breath blow on Sara’s exposed vulva. She lays a kiss on Sara’s clit, then licks her whole slit and dips her tongue into Sara’s center.

Sara moans. The sound bouncing around the clock tower. It’s a good thing they don’t have any neighbors. In Nanda Parbat, Sara would always be so quiet, even as she came. Whenever Nyssa took her somewhere private, Sara screamed as she fell apart under Nyssa’s tongue, moaning as loud as thunder.

Sara bucks her hips as Nyssa draws circles around her clit and presses her hand to Sara’s waist, holding her in place. Sara’s close, Nyssa can tell by the way she moans and moves under her.

Sara comes with a scream, her whole body shaking. Nyssa pulls back, knowing how overstimulated Sara can get. When Sara comes down she smiles at Nyssa, under hooded eyes. The sun has set, basking them in yellow light. Nyssa watches it glow on Sara’s skin. If she were a painter, she would paint the light that illuminates her skin; she leans over and kisses her, savoring the taste of her lips.

Sara runs her hands down Nyssa’s arms and moves to grip her hips as she moves one hand across Nyssa’s belly. Sara teases the hair she finds there, rubbing her fingers into the dark tight curls. Nyssa moves to nip at her neck leaving light traces of her teeth against Sara skin. Sara throws her head back opening her neck to her.

As she finally dips her fingers into Nyssa’s soft folds, Nyssa sighs and breathes into Sara’s shoulder. Sara knows her body well and knows how to rub Nyssa in just the right way that makes her see stars. Going up and down across her clit and drawing circles around her entrance before pumping in with two fingers.

Nyssa comes in less than a few minutes, moaning and biting into Sara’s shoulder. As she comes down, she kisses the bruise left by her teeth and kisses her way up to Sara’s lips for one last kiss.

When Sara pulls back, Nyssa rolls off of her. They lay side by side, breathing heavily basking in the afterglow. As the lust fades away, Sara sits up. She closes in on herself, hugging her knees.

Sara can’t believe she’s done this, she’s cheating on Ollie of all people. ‘Damn’ she thinks. Things really do come full circle.

She feels Nyssa run her fingers up her spine and along her back. It’s comforting; there was a time when Nyssa would do this every night. It was a small comfort to Sara after a long day. She wants that again.

She looks at Nyssa over her shoulder and sees her staring lazily up at her, a soft smile on her face. She’s so beautiful and perfect and Sara loves her, she can’t deny it. Sara gives her a small smile and Nyssa sits up and kisses her shoulder. Sara leans against her as they let the silence fall around them.

They could always read each other so well, passing looks at each other across the room in silent conversations. She knows now that this is where she belongs. Beside the woman she loves, supporting each other as equals. She can’t go back to Oliver.

Nyssa’s phone starts vibrating from where it sits in her jacket pocket. Nyssa reaches over to grab it and pulls back to sit next to Sara, giving her full view of the caller I.D., it’s Sarab. Nyssa answers the call pressing the phone against her ear, but she makes no move to pull away from Sara. Nyssa never kept secrets from her about any of her missions, and neither did Sara.

“I see… Yes, I will be there shortly,” Nyssa hangs up and kisses Sara. When she pulls away Nyssa gives her a sad look, one that Sara knows all too well. Nyssa has a mission she must complete before they can be together.

“That was Sarab, I must be in Seattle by tonight.” Nyssa takes her hand and looks her in the eye, “I want you to come with me. Please, my Beloved, come home.”

“I can’t,” Sara says looking away as Nyssa’s face falls, “Just not tonight. I want to be with you but I need to work out things here before I leave.”

Nyssa nods and gives her a small smile full of hope.

“I love you, my Beloved,” Nyssa says, cupping Sara’s face in her hands.

“I love you too, baby,” Sara says using the affectionate nickname for Nyssa. The one that she’s always rolling her eyes at. But not tonight, tonight Nyssa just smiles and kisses her.

* * *

 

Half an hour later Nyssa is gone and Sara walks into the Arrow Cave. It's quite and Sara makes sure her footsteps don't take away from the silence. Oliver is working at his desk, making arrows. She looks around but doesn’t see Felicity or Diggle, which is good. They need to have this conversation alone.

He looks up as she walks towards him giving her a smile, “Hey, I was wondering where you disappeared to.”

“Ollie, there’s something I need to talk about,” She says pulling the chair next to him and sitting down.


	4. Most Beautiful of All the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyssa stays up late reading her favorite book much to Sara's annoyance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sappho's poem is a trademark of the W.W. Norton and Company, The poem is copyright 2016, Philip Freeman, original characters are copyright 2012, CW Network, Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, all rights reserved.

"Please, Nyssa," Sara whined as she threw her arm over her eyes in an attempt to block out the lamp’s light. The soft yellow glow cast over Nyssa’s book and her bedside leaving shadows across the floors and ceiling. 

"Just a little while longer, my Beloved. I want to finish these last ten pages."

Sara groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. Nyssa briefly looked over at her and  chuckled at her antics, it was barely 9:15 pm. Nyssa knew that regardless of her setting, at precisely ten Sara would be fast asleep. Sara’s sleep schedule was consistent. She awoke at the same hour each morning and fell asleep at the same time each night and with League training, she could fall asleep anywhere. Except when they were on a mission.

Sara groaned again and shuffled out from under her pillow. She pushed herself up on her elbows and stared at Nyssa. When her girlfriend refused to meet her eye, Sara huffed and let out a long sigh, but Nyssa continued to ignore her.

Finally, Sara crawled on top of Nyssa before she dramatically dropped onto her chest. It was just enough to make Nyssa breath out a soft hmph.

Nyssa pulled up her book to reveal Sara’s face. Her chin resting on Nyssa’s chest and a small smile on her face, one that had gotten Nyssa into to much trouble before, but tonight her eyes don’t quite have that troublesome spark.

"If you wanted my attention you need only ask," Nyssa said, placing her open book in the spot where Sara use to lay.

Sara didn’t say anything in reply, she just hummed and scooted forward until her head was under Nyssa’s chin. She buried her face in Nyssa’s neck as Nyssa wrapped one arm around her. 

Nyssa grabbed her book and continued her reading. It was a little awkward to do with one hand, so she rested the book on Sara’s back where she can reach it with both hands. The silence seeped into the room, and just when Nyssa thinks she has fallen asleep, Sara asked.

"Will you read to me?" 

There are few things in this world that Sara loved more than Nyssa’s soft voice. With Nyssa’s arms wrapped around her and her soft voice in Sara’s ear, she had never felt safer. Nyssa knew this and began to read aloud. 

Nyssa liked to read a variety of fiction and nonfiction books, but often she found herself drawn to books Sara considered ‘boring college lit.’ Tonight she had chosen something simpler, poetry. Sappho’s words had caught her attention and like most nights she was far too interested to put it down. As she read, she paused after every line and pondered the weight of the poet’s words and their meaning.

“She wanders to and fro remembering    
gentle Atthis, and her tender    
heart is consumed.

to go there . . .    
much . . .    
says . . . 

For us it isn't easy to rival the goddesses    
in a lovely form… 

… love    
… Aphrodite

… poured nectar    
from golden cups    
with hands Persuasion

… to the Geraesteum   
… beloved” (Freeman and Sappho, 2016) 

“My Beloved,” Nyssa added. After the last line, Nyssa pressed her lips to the top of Sara’s head. 

Nyssa sometimes wondered if Sara truly loved her or if she was simply grateful to the woman who saved her life. On nights like this, there was no doubt in her mind about the love that Sara had for her. And Nyssa did everything in her power to tell Sara that she meant just as much to Nyssa and more.

Nyssa had once asked if Sara had been like this as a child, one morning after Nyssa had carried her back to their room. One minute she was sitting on Nyssa’s lap as they lounged against the pillows of the common area, Sara’s head against her shoulder as she giggled with their friends and the next she was asleep. Her forehead pressed against Nyssa’s neck. 

Sara had said yes. Telling Nyssa how she had fallen asleep during a shopping trip in one of the stores changing rooms. Sending her parents into a frenzy for ten minutes when they couldn't find her. After that, she said they would always schedule events so that they could be home before she fell asleep, or so that she would fall asleep in the car. 

After Sara’s breathing had evened out and she was sure her beloved had fallen asleep, Nyssa couldn't help but stay up to read the other poems and lines. 

* * *

 

The morning sun filters in through the patterns of the window screens, casting a shadow of the art along the floor and up onto the bed. The first thing Sara was aware of was the steady thump of Nyssa’s heart. She listened to its sound as she awakes. Still very much asleep, she longed for a couple more minutes. She eventually opened up her eyes to check the clock on her nightstand, the ticking has been drowned out by the bird’s morning song. 

The time said they’re running late, but one of the perks of being the heir’s beloved was that she could say it was the will of the heir which caused her late arrival. She sighed and rolled off Nyssa onto her side of the bed she spread out her limbs out like a starfish. She knew she needed to get up, but the comfort of sleep was too tempting and they were already running late, what’s a few more minutes. 

Nyssa stirred next to her and took a deep breath as Sara’s weight no longer constricted her movements. She rolled onto her side and blinked. As she opened her eyes she gave Sara a sleepy smile. 

“Good morning,” Sara said in a low whisper.

“Good morning to you too, my Beloved,” Nyssa replied, her voice was sweet as the morning around them.

Sara stretched and yawned, pushing her limbs across the bed, her foot running into Nyssa’s leg. Something about it made Nyssa chuckle and grab ahold of Sara’s hip, pulling her back into Nyssa’s embrace.

“Someone is tired this morning,” Sara said, as she nestled up against her. Nyssa greeted her with a lazy kiss. “That wouldn’t be because you stayed up late to read, now would it?”

“Now, Taer al Asafar,” Nyssa said her, her eyes remaining closed. “You know I am above such things.”

Sara laughed, the main reason why Nyssa teased her so often and  pressed her forehead against Nyssa’s. They once again they settled into bed  and drifted  out of consciousness as the sun rose higher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Freeman, Philip, and Sappho. Searching for Sappho: the Lost Songs and World of the First Woman Poet. , 2016.
> 
> I got the book of Sappho’s poems from the library. It’s was a really great read and I definitely recommend checking it out.


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